Airbus' Chinese final assembly line is ready to meet the country's single-aisle jetliner demand

Summary

Airbus' Chinese final assembly line is ready to meet the country's single-aisle jetliner demand

The production ramp-up at Airbus China's new final assembly line - the company's first outside of Europe - is continuing on schedule, highlighted by deliveries of the second and third A320 Family jetliners built at this modern Tianjin-based facility.

A total of 11 A319s and A320 aircraft are expected to be received by customers from the assembly site this year, with its output reaching up to four monthly by the end of 2011 to meet China's growing market requirement for highly efficient single-aisle aircraft.

The latest deliveries were Airbus' first A319 built at Tianjin - handed over to Deer Air this July - followed by an A320 in early August for Shenzhen Airlines. They came after the historic handover of the assembly facility's no. 1 jetliner, an A320, which was provided in June to Dragon Aviation Leasing for operation by Sichuan Airlines.

All three airlines accepting the Tianjin-built jetliners so far are major Chinese operators of Airbus aircraft. Deer Air now has 21 A319s, along with eight A330/A340s. The Shenzhen Airlines fleet has reached 23 A320s and five A319s, while Sichuan Airlines' all-Airbus inventory counts 41 A319s, A320s and A321s.

Tianjin's next delivery will occur in the coming weeks with an A320 for China Eastern Airlines, a long-time Airbus carrier that flies A300s, A319s, A320s, A321s, A330s and A340s.

As of June 2009, Chinese customers have ordered close to 600 A320 Family aircraft - with more than 400 currently in operation with 12 carriers throughout the country.

The Tianjin final assembly line is Airbus' third such single-aisle production site worldwide, joining facilities in Hamburg, Germany and Toulouse, France.

It is a joint venture between Airbus and a Chinese consortium comprising Tianjin Free Trade Zone and China Aviation Industry Corporation.